5 Easy ways to stay grounded during the Christmas/New Year hype.

With the Christmas and New Year festivities coming up it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. Be it frantically trying to get work finished, gift shopping or planning what to cook on Christmas Day. Stress and worry can take over and have you pulling your hair out in no time!

It is times like this where it is important to stay centered and grounded within yourself and with Earth energy. So what is grounding? Basically it is balancing out the spiritual and physical energy in your body by connecting with the Earth. When you are grounded you feel like you are here: in the physical, in the present and making the most of NOW. I will share with you a few easy ways to ground yourself that I currently practice and have integrated in my life.

 Remember to smile!

1. To yourself and to others. I often walk down the street or through a mall and notice that people don’t seem to appear that happy. Smiling can make a huge difference in someones life, it may just brighten their day and yours too. Giving a stranger a big genuine smile not only looks beautiful but it brings you into the present, it brings you into the NOW. For the time you are smiling you are not thinking about what you need to buy at the supermarket or the pile of washing that needs folding, you are simply experiencing being in your body and sharing your happiness with the world. That alone is grounding.

2. Carry earthing crystals
   Carrying a crystal or two in your pocket/bag or in a piece of jewelry is a great way to stay grounded. Each crystal has its own unique energy which can assist you at different moments in your life. Stones thats are especially good at spiritual grounding are Smoky Quartz, Black Obsidian, Black Tourmaline and Black or Blue Kyanite, to name a few. The trick is to always use your intuition when selecting a crystal. Have the intention that you are wanting to attract a stone specifically to ground you. When you feel a strong attraction to a particular stone that is when you know you have found the right one. There are no rules, go with what resonates.

3. Connect with nature
   Connecting with nature is a sure fire way to ground yourself with the Earth’s energy. Walking barefoot is amazing for letting go of stress and reconnecting to your true nature. We rely on the Earth and all she gives in order to survive, but we live in a society that tends to lead us further and further away from the nature. We need water to drink, oxygen to breathe and plants to nourish but what about the life sustaining energy the Earth emanates? Most people these days constantly wear shoes, this blocks the flow of energy from the ground to the body and through the main energy centers or chakras. Go outside and walk around barefoot! Let that life force energy flow and start living with all cylinders firing.

4. Remember to breathe.
   Every night I do a visualisation and breathing exercise which I have found to be greatly beneficial. This can be done lying down in bed, in the car, at work, whenever you feel stressed, there are no rules. Start by taking long slow breaths. On the inhale imagine you are inhaling brilliant, bright white light. Let it permeate every cell in your body until you and your body is glowing with amazing pure energy. On the exhale imagine you are breathing out all the negative energy (anger, guilt, stress, worry etc). See it leave your body in a black/grey mist. Release this energy out to the universe and have the intention that it will get turned into love and showered back upon you. Repeat this until you can no longer visualise the mist on the exhale as being black or grey.

5. Don't forget to treat yourself
   This one speaks for itself. There is nothing better than living in the NOW moment and making impulse decisions or saying “You know what? I'm going to eat this whole bar of chocolate and not feel guilty”. Get a massage or do something you find relaxing, we are often thinking about others at this time of year and we forgot to think about ourselves. Whatever you do to treat yourself, make sure you are 100% present and in the now. Experience it fully, wholeheartedly and enjoy the moment.